Mechanic caught with €139k cannabis stash at Covid checkpoint in Cork

Accused was stopped at a checkpoint on the M8 at Killydonoghue in Glanmire on Tuesday March 23, 2021, court heard

Accused's Renault van was searched and in the back gardaí found seven packages of cannabis in two bags, court told. File picture: Colin Keegan, Collins 

A routine Covid checkpoint in Cork resulted in a Dublin mechanic being caught carrying a €139,000 stash of cannabis herb in the back of his van and now he has been sentenced to three years in prison.

Judge Helen Boyle said: “It is in truth a cautionary tale about a young man accruing a drugs debt and the difficulty that causes for himself and his family.”